Sighting of two fugitives’ car reported in Maine

Contributed | BDN

Contributed | BDN

Contributed | BDN

Contributed | BDN

By From and wire reports, Special to the BDN •August 16, 2010 9:51 pmUpdated: January 29, 2011 11:53 am

The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department and other state law enforcement agencies were on the lookout Monday for an Arizona couple wanted in connection with a prison break that occurred July 31 in Kingman, Ariz.

A reported sighting of the 1997 Nissan Sentra being used by Casslyn Mae Welch and her fiance and cousin, John McCluskey, somewhere in central Maine prompted the alert, an Aroostook County sheriff’s deputy said Monday.

Tracy Province, Daniel Renwick and McCluskey escaped from prison, allegedly with Welch’s help. Renwick and Province have been recaptured, but McCluskey and Welch are the focus of a nationwide hunt.

The search for the two was focused Saturday on western Montana and the northwestern U.S. and Canada.

The last credible sighting of Welch and McCluskey was on Aug. 6 in Billings, Mont., and the couple likely are still traveling in a gold, tan or gray 1997 Nissan Sentra, authorities have said.

The U.S. Marshals Service has asked travelers at truck stops and in campgrounds nationwide to watch out for the couple, who may have dyed their hair and otherwise changed their appearance. Both are experienced long-haul truckers.

McCluskey was serving a 15-year sentence for attempted second-degree murder and other crimes when he escaped.

Authorities believe Welch was acting as a drug mule for white supremacists before she helped him escape from prison. She now faces six narcotics charges after being tied to the escape of McCluskey and the other two inmates.